A Moment of Peace
by Lucythebeast
Summary: An unexpected additional attack from the tenth angel leads to a short and tender scene between Rei and Shinji. Oneshot and complete


**NG: Evangelion – A Moment of Peace**

Required Disclaimer: This is of course a work of fanfiction. It is meant simply to be homage to the wonderful work of GAINAX and the creative team that worked so hard to give us such an amazing story. It is also meant, of course, to entertain you, the readers. So… enjoy and stuff.

_Author's Note: This story takes place outside of the normal continuity. Or rather… it's something that could have happened… but didn't. Or, more likely, you can consider it a flashback scene of my "Only In Your Eyes Am I Worthy" Eva fic. Or something._

Rei was walking home silently, followed closely by Shinji. The third child kept quiet as well, lost in thought. They had just defeated the 10th angel, which had basically just dropped on them and detonated, but they were able to minimize and contain the worst of the catastrophe.

The third child wasn't sure why he was following the blue-haired girl, but he felt like talking to her and hadn't quite figured out how to strike up a conversation yet. He opened his mouth to ask a lame question about schoolwork, the best he could come up with, when he walked straight into the quiet girl's back since she had stopped so suddenly. "Oof!" He blinked in surprise, looking at the back of the first child's head in confusion. "Ayanami?"

The red-eyed girl looked up at the sky, a touch of concern on her porcelain features. "Ikari… do you hear that?"

Shinji frowned and looked towards the sky as well, straining his ears to hear what had caught the girl's attention, but all he heard was silence. The residents of Tokyo-3 had not yet returned to the city since the angel's attack had just been thwarted a short time before, and they had been evacuated beforehand in the likely case that they failed in their mission. "I don't hear anything. What did you hear?"

Rei remained staring at the sky for a few moments before replying. "It sounds like singing. I have heard this song before."

The blue-eyed boy blinked briefly, returning his gaze to the sky. "Oh? Where?"

"I think it was…" She stopped suddenly, fixing her eyes on a particular dark spot in the sky. "The angel." The blue-haired girl turned quickly, grabbing the boy's arm. "Hurry, we must ru-"

Before she could finish her hastened sentence, a deafening explosion was heard a moment before the shockwave knocked them both off their feet.

"Ah!" Shinji cried as the breath was knocked out of his body. His eyes opened just in time to see debris falling towards them. Acting on instinct, he immediately rolled over the first child to shield her from harm. Sharp pain shot through his side from the force of the impact and he felt the ground beneath them crumble as well. They fell a short distance onto a cold hard substance and heard the distinct sound of more debris falling on top of them. He was barely able to shout out in pain before losing consciousness.

A short time later, the young Ikari woke up with a pained groan. "Ayanami? Are you there? Are you all right?" Shinji gasped out, his first thought of his fellow pilot's welfare.

"I am here, Ikari." Rei's soft voice sounded close to the boy's ear.

The third child tried to move but cried out in pain instead as he felt like someone had just stabbed him in the ribs, a feeling he had unfortunately grown to know well while piloting the Eva.

"Do not move, Ikari. You are injured." The red-eyed girl informed him, blatantly stating the obvious.

"Are you ok?" Shinji inquired, cracking his eyes to find that a little bit of light was creeping into the hole they were in, while the rest was covered in cement and steel debris. He turned his blue eyes towards the girl to find she was looking down at him and he was a lot closer than he would have thought possible.

"I am uninjured. A few scrapes and a contusion is all. I am well." Rei replied.

The third child sighed in relief and winced as that caused a sting in his injured side, likely from broken ribs. "What happened? Another angel attack already?"

The first child glanced up at the crack where a trace amount of light and breathable air were luckily able to filter in for a few moments before looking back down at the boy and replying. "I believe a small piece of the angel detached itself before the main body attacked. It followed some distance behind, perhaps as a final attack in case the host body was defeated. Or perhaps it was meant to make contact with Adam while the rest of the body merely cleared the way."

Panic edged its way through Shinji's consciousness as he realized the predicament they were in. He tried to sit up, intent on seeing if he could move the rubble enough for them, or at least Rei, to squeeze through. But all he managed to do was to let out a piercing shriek and settle back down on the surprisingly soft and warm headrest.

"Do _not_ move, Ikari. You are _injured_." Rei repeated her earlier statement, this time concern leaked into her normally emotionless voice.

"Good idea." The blue-eyed boy gasped out. He turned slightly to angle his body in such a way to not pull on the injured ribs as he lay on his other side. "So… tired…" He muttered.

"Rest now, Ikari. I shall protect you." The first child stated. She looked down at the blue-eyed boy, seeing his features soften as he fell unconscious once more.

Rei looked at the small opening where the light was streaming down from for a few moments then back down at her fellow pilot. Without consciously thinking about it, she raised her hand up and ran her fingers through the boy's soft dark hair as his head rested on her lap. She contemplated the emotion that she was feeling. It felt… agreeable. She gave the slumbering form of Shinji a slight smile in the darkness, enjoying a moment of peace.

_Finis _


End file.
